Class Description

“The canvas is an empty space. It is the job of the artist to fill that void with light and form and atmosphere, with wisdom and challenge, with thunderous noise and breathtaking silence, with the glory of heaven and the horrors of hell, and with all the infinite variety and nuance of the human condition.”

Mr. Torak teaches the core principles of traditional painting technique, with stress on the importance of a logical and organized approach. Students learn to use light to create the illusion of form in an atmospheric space on a two-dimensional surface. This class works from the nude and clothed model, with poses generally lasting one week.

About the Instructor

“The canvas is an empty space. It is the job of the artist to fill that void with light and form and atmosphere, with wisdom and challenge, with thunderous noise and breathtaking silence, with the glory of heaven and the horrors of hell, and with all the infinite variety and nuance of the human condition.” — Thomas Torak

Thomas Torak studied at the Art Students League from 1974 to 1983 with Robert Beverly Hale and Frank Mason. His paintings have been recognized with the American Artists Professional League Medal of Honor, the Audubon Artists Gold Medal of Honor, the Allied Artists of America Silver Medal of Honor, the Academic Artists Association Gold Medal, and the AAPL Frank C. Wright Medal of Honor. He has received the top awards at the Salmagundi Club in New York at their Thumb-Box Exhibition and at a special members’ exhibit of floral paintings. His painting The Artist was purchased by the Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, LA, for their permanent collection.

Mr. Torak’s paintings have been seen at the Butler Institute of American Art, the Springfield Museum of Fine Art, the Huntsville Museum of Art, the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, the San Diego Art Institute, the National Academy Museum, the Krasl Art Center, the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, the Wiregrass Museum of Art, and the Chautauqua Art Galleries.